Apparatus for dyeing textile material



Jan. 19, 1965 A. THIES 3,165,910

' APPARATUS FOR DYEING TEXTILE MATERIAL.

Filed July 18, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. AZ FRFO 779/55 UnitedStates Patent C 3,165,910 APPARATUS FOR DYEING TEXTILE MATERIAL AlfredThies, -Coesfeld, Westphalia, Germany, asslguor to B. Thies K.G.,Coesleld, Westphalia, Germany Filed July 18, 1961, Ser. No. 126,835Ciaims priority, application Germany, July 19, 1960, T 18,711 2 Claims.(Cl. 6813) The present invention relates to an apparatus for dyeingtextile materials, such as cotton, wool and synthetic fibres.

As is known, textile materials (e.g. in loose form, in the form ofyarns, in carded form or in combed form) are usually treated in aseparate receptacle before being transferred into the dyeing vat. Priorto the transfer of textile material, the dyeing vat is filled with waterand with certain chemicals including the selected dyestufi or dyestuffs.Such dyestuffs are normally furnished in pulverulent form and must beadded in carefully controlled quantities. In addition, they must becarefully stirred in water by means of wooden poles in order to avoidagglomeration. Such operation is time-consuming and requires extensiveexperience and substantial skill.

It is an important object of the present invention to provide anapparatus for the dyeing of textile materials without agglomeration ofdyestufis in the vat and according to which dye liquor may be formed ina more or less automatic way so that the apparatus may be serviced bysemiskilled personnel.

Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of thejust'outlined characteristics according to which dye liquor may beformed in such a Way that the danger of spilling the dyestuif or ofbringing undissolved. dyestutf into actual contact with the textilematerial is prevented at all times. I

A further object of the instant invention is to provide an apparatuswherein the consecutively formed quantities of dye liquor are ofidentical consistency so that the batches of consecutively introducedtextile materials are dyed to the same shade.

An additional object of my invention is to provide an apparatus of theabove described type which may be rapidly and conveniently converted fortreatment of different textile materials and which may be rapidlyconverted for operation with dye liquors of different hues.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of the'above' outlined characteristics wherein the rate at which dye liquor-isformed may be controlled and varied in anextremely simple way.

A concomitant object of the invention is to provide an apparatus fordyeing textile materials wherein the forma-' tion of dye liquor maybeobserved so that an operator can determine and alter the rate at whichthe dyestulf is dissolved in the liquid substance.

The improved apparatus comprises conduit means con- '7 nected to andforming with the vat an endless path for the liquid substance, pumpmeans in the conduit means for recirculating the liquid in the endlesspath, a filter extendable into the path of the liquid at a pointexternally of the vat, and a supply of liquid-soluble dyestuff in thefilter. It is preferred to provide a housing which is connected in theconduit means so that the liquid substance may flow therethrough, andthe housing receives the filter in such a way that a predeterminedportion of the filter dips into the liquid flowing through the housing.In such manner, the operator may control the rate at which the dyestuifcontained in the filter is dissolved in the recirculated liquid. Thehousing and/ or the filter may be provided with observation windowsincluding transparent or translucent panes through which the'operatormay observe the rate at which the dyestuif is being dissolved and alsothe extent to which the filter and the dyestuft contained therein areimmersed in the recirculated liquid substance.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic of theinvention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. Theinvention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method ofoperation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, willbe best understood from the following detailed description of certainspecific embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a somewhat schematic elevational view of a dyeing apparatuswhich comprises a dyestuif admitting arrangement embodying my invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged vertical section through the dyestulf admittingarrangement; and

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a filter and of a container for dyesuffwhich may be used in the arrangement of FIG. 2.

Referring now in greater detail to the illustrated embodiments, andfirst to FIG. 1, there is shown a dyeing apparatus for textile materialswhich comprises a receptacle or vat 10 for the textile material and asystem for recirculating dye liquor through the vat. This recirculatingsystem comprises a supply conduit 11 which is connected to the bottomend wall of the vat and to the pressure side of a liquor-recirculatingpump 12, e.g. a constant delivery gear or vane pump. The suction side ofthis pump is connected with a return conduit 13 which communicates withthe vat 10 at a point above the connection of the vat with the supplyconduit 11. The supply conduit 11 contains a heat exchanger 14 and anarrangement 15 for admitting a coloring material or dyestulf to thecirculating liquid so that the preferably pulverulent dyestuff isadmitted to and is dissolved in the liquid substance to form dye liquorbefore the latter reaches the vat 10. The flow of dye liquor through theconduists 11,

I 13 is controlled by a four-way valve 16 which, in the position of FIG.1, permits the liquor to circulate inan end! less path through the vat10, through the pump 12, through the heat exchanger 14 and through thedye admitting arrangement 15 in the direction indicated by the arrows17. The return conduit 13 (or the suction side of I the pump 12) isconnected with a conduit 18 leading to a liquid reservoir19.

The construction of the dyestutf admitting arrangement 15 is showninFIG.2. This arrangement comprises a 7 housing 20 having nipples 21, 22connected in the supply to the direction of liquid flow through thehousing 20.

Thus, the operator may adjust the position of. the filter 23 so that aportion of the liquid may bypass the filter 5 (arrows 26) and that onlya certain quantity of liquid will actually penetrate through the filter(arrows 27). In this manner, the operator may control the rate at whichthe dyestutf is dissolved in the liquid, i.e. he may control the rate atwhich the liquid is transformed into dye liq uor. The mesh of the cageor basket 28 forming part of the filter 23 is less than the dimensionsof the particles constituting the coloring material, ie only thedissolved dyestufi can leave the filter to advance through the nipple 22and toward the vat 10. The housing 20 supports a sleeve 29 whoseinternal threads mesh with the threads on the spindle 24, and it ispreferred to provide in the housing an observation window 31 (FIG. 1)which enables an operator to determine whether or not the coloringmaterial is still given oit by the filter 23.

The filter 23 preferably assumes the form of a cartridge which may berefilled with coloring material and which is removably mounted one plate31 secured to the lower end of the spindle 24 so that it may be rapidlyreplaced by a new one. The upper part or cover 32 of the housing '20 isdetachable to permit removal of the assembly including the spindle 24and the filter :23. A bar or plate 33 is mounted in the internal chamberof the housing 20 to guide the filter 23 in its movements toward andaway from the bottom wall of the housing.

The cage or basket 28 of the cartridge 23 preferably consists of arustproof metallic material whose mesh, as stated before, is smallerthan the dimensions of the particles of coloring material containedtherein. This cage may be provided with a second observation window 34which is alignedwith the window 30 so that the operator may immediatelydetermine whether or not all coloring material is dissolved, i.e.whether or not the filter 23 must be refilled with dyestuit.

The operation of the dyeing apparatus is as follows:

The operator removes the cover 32 and attaches the filter 23 to thespindle 24. He then closes the housing 20 by securing thereto the cover32 with the help of a channeled strap 35 or the like and adjusts thevalve 16 to the position of FIG 1. When the pump 12 is started, theliquid is recirculated in the direction indicated by the arrows 17 andthe coloring material in the cage 28 is dissolved at a predeterminedrate of speed, depending on the nature of the coloring material, on thecapacity of the pump 12, on the mesh of the cage 28, and on the extentto which the filter 23 extends into the housing 20, i.e. whether or nota portion of the liquid can bypass the cage 28 (arrows 26).

When the coloring material is dissolved, when the apparatus is to beused for dyeing a different type of textile material, or when a newbatch of textile material is to be dyed to a different color, theoperator arrests the pump 12 and opens the housing 20 by removing thecover 32 so that a new quantity of dyestufi" may be inserted into thecartridge 23. The operation is then repeated in the same way asdescribed above.

An important advantage of the improved process and apparatus is that thedyeing operation is simplified and that the dissolution of dyestuff maybe controlled with utmost accuracy. Furthermore, since the dyestuifcannot agglomerate in the conduits 11, 13 or in the vat 10, the dyeingaction is much more uniform and the vat may remain sealed during theentire dyeing operation. Any losses owing to inadvertent spilling ofdyestuff are eliminated because the dyestuff need not be introduced intothe vatproper. Still further, since the quantities of dyestuffintroduced into the cartridge 23 may be measured with utmost accuracy,the tedious and time-consuming work of weighing the dyestuif, which isnecessary when the dyestutf is introduced directly into the vat, may bedispensed with.

If desired, the dyestuif may be supplied in liquid-soluble containers36, such as bags, envelopes and the like, which are insertable into thecage 28 in such a way that the operators fingers never come into actualcontact with the dyestuif. This is shown in FIG. 3.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist ofthe present invention that others can, by applying current knowledge,readily adapt it for various applications Without omitting featuresthat, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essentialcharacteristics of the generic and specific aspects of this inventionand, therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to becomprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence of thefollowing claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent is:

1. A dyeing apparatus for textile materials comprising, in combination,a dyeing vat for the textile material; conduit means connected to anddefining with said vat an endless path for the circulation of a liquidthrough said vat; pump means mounted in said conduit means forcirculating the liquid in said path; a housing connected in said conduitmeans so that the liquid may flow therethrough; a filter removablyreceived in said housing and adapted to contain a supply ofliquid-soluble particulate dyestufi, the mesh of said filter being lessthan the dimensions of the particles of the dyestutf to be placed in thefilter whereby only the dyestufli dissolved in the liquid flowingthrough said filter can leave the filter to form with the liquid a dyeliquor; and means for moving said filter substantially transversely tothe direction of liquid flow through said housing so as to vary theextent to which the filter and the dyestulf are immersed in the liquid.

2. A dyeing apparatus for textile materials comprising, in combination,a dyeing vat for the textile material; conduit means connected to anddefining with said vat an endless path for the circulation of a liquidthrough said vat; pump means mounted in said conduit means forcirculating the liquid in said path; a housing connected in said conduitmeans so that the liquid may flow therethrough; a filter removablyreceived in said housing, said filter being arranged in said housing;and a liquid-soluble container adapted to contain a supply ofliquid-soluble particulate dyestuff placed in said filter, the mesh ofsaid filter being less than the dimensions of the particles of saiddyestufi whereby only the dyestufi dissolved in the liquid flowingthrough said filter can leave the filter to form with the liquid a dyeliquor.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 829,188 8/06Weiss 68-184 1,002,635 9/11 Bratkowski 68-207 1,327,662 1/20 Dudley68-189 1,451,180 4/23 Schmelzer 134-93 2,343,233 2/44 -Watkins et al8-34 2,382,726. 8/45 Korte 68-184 X 2,604,386 =7/52 -Arant 68-17 X2,663,612 12/53 Gibson 8-34 2,707,382 5/55 Newcomb 68-184 2,868,005*1/59 Johnson 68-184 FOREIGN PATENTS 194,793 1/ 5 8 Austria.

WALTER A. SCHEEL, Primary Examiner. M. O. WOLK, IRVING BUNEVICH,Examiners.

1. A DYEING APPARATUS FOR TEXTILE MATERIALS COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION,A DYEING VAT FOR THE TEXTILE MATERIAL; CONDUIT MEANS CONNECTED TO ANDDEFINING WITH SAID VAT AN ENDLESS PATH FOR THE CIRCULATION OF A LIQUIDTHROUGH SAID VAT; PUMP MEANS MOUNTED IN SAID CONDUIT MEANS FORCIRCULATING THE LIQUID IN SAID PATH; A HOUSING CONNECTED IN SAID CONDUITMEANS SO THAT THE LIQUID MAY FLOW THERETHROUGH; A FILTER REMOVABLYRECEIVED IN SAID HOUSING AND ADAPTED TO CONTAIN A SUPPLY OFLIQUID-SOLUBLE PARTICULATE DYESTUFF, THE MESH OF SAID FILTER BEING LESSTHAN THE DIMENSIONS OF THE PARTICLES OF THE DYESTUFF TO BE PLACED IN THEFILTER WHEREBY ONLY THE DYSTUFF DISSOLVED IN THE LIQUID FLOWING THROUGHSAID FILTER CAN LEAVE THE FILTER TO FORM WITH THE LIQUID A DYE LIQUOR;AND MEANS FOR MOVING SAID FILTER SUBSTANTIALLY TRANSVERSELY TO THEDIRECTION OF LIQUID FLOW THROUGH SAID HOUSING SO AS TO VARY THE EXTENTTO WHICH THE FILTER AND THE DYESTUFF ARE IMMERSED IN THE LIQUID.